Olivier Rivière

Native to France, Olivier Rivière was born and raised south of Bordeaux in Cognac. After completing his oenology studies in Montagne St-Emilion, he started working with Elian Da Ros in Côte-du-Marmandais and later at Domaine Leroy, where he developed a passion for and the skills necessary to make wine using organic and biodynamic methods.

As his dream was always to make wines at his own domaine, he quickly realized that it would be impossible to find what he was looking for in France due to the incredible cost and scarcity of great vineyards. He decided to cross the border, and in 2004, he took a job with an estate in Rioja, where his role was to convert its vineyards to biodynamic farming. This experience opened his eyes as he saw the potential and opportunity to access unique, old vineyards in the region. At that point, he decided to stay in Rioja and start his own winemaking venture.

Initially, Olivier found a suitable grower in Cárdenas, purchasing and vinifying his grapes. At the same time, he rented a 1.2-ha plot and had his first harvest in 2006. Over the next few years, he managed to purchase vineyards, some of which were located in lesser-known regions to most. What all of his vineyards shared was a combination of old vines, great terroirs, and altitude, providing high potential for making exceptional wines. Today, Olivier owns 3 ha of vineyards in the Rioja region and rents another 3 ha. In the Arlanza appellation (in Burgos), he owns 4 ha. All of his vineyards are farmed biodynamically.

Olivier has an innate sense of terroir. His wines have more in common stylistically with Burgundy than with the typical Spanish wines.

Rather than adopting the common Spanish system, which classifies wines based on their aging time before release (Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva), he believes in a Burgundy-inspired hierarchy of quality. In his approach, the wines are specified by terroir, with generic appellation and Village wines at the base, and Premier and Grand Cru wines at the top. There is minimal intervention in the vinification process, and the use of sulphites and new oak is kept to a minimum.

This unique and revolutionary approach results in wines that combine their Spanish identity (using local Spanish varieties from different terroirs) with freshness and complexity, setting them apart from any other Spanish wines.